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Government struggling to fund corporate monster of Irish Water – Brian Stanley TD

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on the Environment Brian Stanley TD has claimed that Labour and Fine Gael are at sixes and sevens in its struggle to fund the corporate monster of Irish Water.

Deputy Stanley said:

“It is apparent now that the Government is divided on the water charges issue, and that it is basically making it up as it goes along. They have handed a virtual black cheque to Irish Water, the corporate monster that was conceived by Fianna Fáil, and which the public is now expected to subsidise through the central exchequer and water charges.

“The facts are that it will be funded by exchequer subsidy and domestic and commercial water charges. Either way the public will pay.

“The Government has deliberately procrastinated on the rate at which water charges will be set, and which we will not know until August. The only reason the current figures are out there is because that information was leaked.

“They are clearly terrified of the reaction to the water debacle in the local and European elections, and are desperately attempting to fend that off. They should stop procrastinating and be up front with the hard pressed householders.”